Flash Sideways 4: Recruitment Drive
by Side Quest Publications
Summary: Random short within the Flash Sideways verse in reaction to the events of Enemy of My Enemy. Leonard Snart recruits Shawna Baez to his Rogues for a very specific purpose. Days later, Shawna helps Lisa track down Roy Bivolo with a job of her own. Takes place during and shortly after Flash S1E22 Rogue Air and S1E23 Fast Enough.
1. Escape

**In which Shawna Baez and the other metahuman prisoners are moved out of the pipeline.  
**

 **A random ficlet set within the Flash Sideways story-verse.  
This ficlet _would have_ been part of Enemy of My Enemy, but for my decision to cut that story off much sooner. So now you get it here.**

 **Takes place during Flash S1E22 Rogue Air.**

 **All characters copyright DC, CW, etc.**

* * *

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

Shawna winced every time the ball landed. Sound didn't carry _that_ well in here—each of their cells muffled whatever the other prisoners were up to—so at least Mark wasn't giving her a headache, but that almost made those faint thuds more irritating.

 _Thud_.

"Hey! What the hell!"

Shawna glanced off in the direction of Mark's cell. What was he yelling about now?

"Hey! _Hey_!"

Seconds later, she knew... far too late to do anything about it. Gas rushed into her cell, just like every time the STAR Labs group needed to move one of their prisoners. But from the sounds of yelling, _all_ of them were being gassed.

Why?

She tried to teleport, to find even a single flaw in her cell that could keep her safe, but the place was designed too well for that. She was unconscious before she slammed into the wall.

—FLASH SIDEWAYS: RECRUITMENT—

Shawna blinked several times, but her vision remained dark. She tried to stand up, swayed on her feet, and made a quick grab for the netting hanging next to her.

She shook her head. What had they gassed her with this time? She couldn't remember being this dizzy before...

No. It wasn't the gas. She could hear a faint rumbling beneath her feet. She was _moving_!

She looked around as the last traces of the gas faded and she could finally see again. They were all here, the other metas who'd been held prisoner with her. But here, there were no cells, nothing to stop them from fighting their way free—

"Agh!" Kyle screamed. "It's not working!"

Shawna shrugged. It took only a second to see what he meant... her own power wasn't working in here. Not that it would matter if it did; she could see inside the truck well enough to teleport, but without some way to see outside she could never escape.

Mark was the last to regain his feet. He stood, glared at the others, held out his hand, and... nothing.

He frowned down at his hand.

"Don't bother," Shawna told him. "Your powers don't work in here. None of ours do."

"What the hell is going on?" Mark asked.

"They're moving us," Roy said.

" _Where_?" Mark demanded.

"Funny, I didn't get an itinerary," Roy replied.

Mark growled, spun around, and slammed a hand into one of the walls.

"Hey!" Shawna snapped. "Tall, dark, and handsome. I said your powers are off-line."

"All brawn, no brains," Kyle said. He grinned.

Shawna rolled her eyes.

Mark stared at Kyle. "I know you, don't I?" He approached the other man slowly. "Kyle Nimbus. Used to be a member of the Darbinyan Crime Family."

"That's right," Kyle replied.

"Weren't you, uh, executed about a year ago?" Mark asked.

"It didn't take," Kyle said. His grin widened.

Mark shook his head. "Darbinyans weren't known for hiring the best and brightest," he said. "You couldn't even _die_ right."

Kyle's grin faded.

"So you're so stupid-mad right now, Mardon," Shawna said, "you're just going to pick a fight with anyone?"

"Guess so," Mark replied.

"If I had my powers right now," Kyle said, "I would gas you all out of existence."

Jake snickered. "And then you'd be standing in a container with four corpses. What would that get you?"

"Peace and quiet," Kyle replied.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Mark said, "but I don't need my powers to fill this rig full of bodies." He took another step in the direction of the other metas. "Come on."

His approach was interrupted as the truck made a sharp turn and knocked him and Kyle off of their feet.

"What was that?" Roy asked.

"Wherever they're taking us," Jake said, "we're here."

Mark shook his head and launched himself at Kyle.

"Turning on each other won't solve anything!" Jake insisted. He tried to pull Kyle back, but the other man whirled and shoved him to the floor.

"Don't ever touch me," Kyle snapped.

"Wait," Mark said.

Shawna blinked. _Now_ he grew a brain? After he'd already provoked Kyle?

"Look," Mark said, pointing to Kyle's chest.

Kyle looked down and stared at the green gas.

Mark opened his hand again and chuckled at the miniature storm that formed within. " _Whoops_."

Jake climbed back to his feet."If you gentlemen don't mind," he said, "perhaps we could set our dispute aside and take on our _real_ enemy?"

"The Flash," Mark agreed. "May I?"

"Be my guest," Roy said.

"Let's see what you got," Shawna said.

"All right." Mark grabbed some of the netting and wrapped it around one arm. "I'm not used to doing this when I can't see where I'm aiming," he explained, "so it might get a little rough."

Jake nodded. "Once we are sure they are distracted, I'll use my power to free us, and then..."

"The Flash is going down," Shawna finished.

"And all of his friends," Jake added. "They'll _all_ pay for locking us up."

"Trying to concentrate, here," Mark growled.

The miniature storm in Mark's hand grew until Shawna feared it might tear the entire rig apart. But before she could call out a warning...

The storm within simply vanished. The thunder outside proved that the trick had worked; Mardon _could_ use his power even without seeing what he was doing. But could he direct the storm when he couldn't even aim?

An explosion outside made Shawna jump. She stared, wide-eyed, in the direction of that sound. "What did you hit?" she asked.

The wind roared outside.

"Mardon!" she said.

He blinked down at her. The sounds of the storm outside faded.

"What the hell did you hit?"

Mark only shrugged.

"It's only collateral damage," Jake said, "whatever it was."

 _Only collateral damage_? Shawna felt sick. What if Mark had killed someone innocent?

"Now are we going to get out of here," Jake continued, "or are we going to let the enemy recover?" He blasted the lock off of the doors before the prisoners could lose their advantage.

Mark pushed the doors open with a quick burst of wind. "Trip's cancelled!" he called out.

"Take your last breath," Kyle snarled, and he turned himself into a cloud of gas.

The Flash rushed after the gas cloud while the other members of his team ran for cover.

The cop began shooting at the newly escaped prisoners. Most of his shots went wide, but a few pinged off the truck and forced Shawna and two of the other metas to duck back inside.

Shawna stared at the battle going on outside. This wasn't simply an escape attempt; these people were actually trying to _kill_ each other!

"I'm out of here," she said. She teleported away as soon as she saw an opening.

* * *

 **Next chapter, Leonard Snart tracks Shawna down.**


	2. Peek-A-Boo

**In which Len tracks Shawna down with a business proposition.  
**

 **Len _might_ seem a titch out of character in this chapter, in terms of how he talks to Shawna and how he makes the offer. (Though he can certainly be polite when he wants to be, so perhaps not _terribly_ out of character, just a little bit.)  
But as this is set within the Flash Sideways story-verse, I offer his behavior as a sign of just how seriously he took Eobard Thawne's threat in Enemy of My Enemy.**

 **Takes place shortly after the events of Flash S1E22 Rogue Air.**

 **All characters copyright DC, CW, etc.**

* * *

Teleporting back home took Shawna a lot longer than she'd expected. She didn't have her telescope, it was too dark to see very far, and attempting to avoid witnesses and security cameras forced her to go well out of her way many times.

But finally, a few hours later, she was back at her apartment.

She flipped the switch by the front door... but the apartment remained dark.

 _Dammit._ She'd been stuck in that cell for so long, the landlord must've decided to cut the electricity to her apartment.

Never mind. She always kept a small flashlight in her first aid kits. There was enough light coming in from the stairwell to find one of them... assuming the landlord hadn't already begun tossing her things in storage.

She made her way to the kitchen, navigating as much by feel as by the meager light coming in through the front door. She had just opened up the drawer where she kept one of her kits, when the door slammed shut and even that light vanished.

Shawna gasped. She made a quick grab for the counter, finding her knife block by memory and pulling out one of the blades before something tackled her from behind.

" _Yowp!_ "

She grinned under the hand that covered her mouth. _Got you_. She hefted the knife again; if she could force her attacker to loosen that grip a little, she could bite that hand, and then...

Her assailant's other hand reached out and twisted her arm. It wasn't enough to hurt, but she had to drop the knife so she couldn't accidentally cut herself.

She growled. No _way_ was she letting some mugger take advantage of her, here in her own apartment, not now that she was supposed to be _safe_!

"Easy," a voice whispered behind her. " _Easy_. I'm not going to hurt you."

Shawna rolled her eyes. Isn't that what they always said when they _wanted_ to hurt you? To make it easier for them, so you wouldn't fight back?

"I just want to talk," the voice continued. "That's all. Now, if you promise not to scream, I'll let you go, all right? Can you promise me that?"

Shawna hesitated for just a moment, then nodded. She prepared to scream the whole building awake the instant she had the chance...

"All right, Mick," the voice said. "Hit the lights."

Shawna's captor released her while she was busy blinking the dazzle from her eyes. When she could see again, she glared at... Leonard Snart?

Hadn't he been helping the Flash with the metahuman prisoners? But wasn't he the Flash's _enemy_? What the hell was going on?

"What do you want with me?" she growled to cover up her confusion.

"Like I said," Leonard replied, "I want to talk to you."

"About _what_?"

Instead of answering, he removed a small device from his ear and gave it an awkward toss towards her coffee table. He grimaced as the motion pulled at the arm she'd managed to cut.

"Damn, that hurts." He cradled his arm and examined the bloody slash.

"I hope you don't expect me to apologize for that," Shawna said.

Leonard shook his head. "You were defending yourself," he replied. He paced the room, glancing occasionally at her furniture with a blank face, before he stopped in front of the curtained-off balcony.

"Which I wouldn't have _needed_ to do if you'd tried to talk to me like a normal human being!" she snapped. "Instead of... whatever the hell you thought that was."

Leonard glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "Ah, but if I'd done that, would you have listened? Or..." He reached out his uninjured arm to pull the curtain aside, and he looked down at the street far below. "Or would you have taken steps to be sure I wouldn't be a problem?"

He shuddered and turned away from the balcony. His face had turned an interesting shade of green.

Shawna frowned. Was he seriously giving away his advantage over her? No, this had to be a trap; there was no way in hell the infamous _Leonard Snart_ was making himself this... this _vulnerable_. If she tried to escape, or teleport him out there like he so clearly expected her to...

No. The safest option right now would be to hear him out. "So what do you want?" she asked. "I'm _not_ joining your gang, if that's what you're after. I didn't just escape one prison to risk getting dumped into another one."

"You're a quick thinker, Baez," he said, with a shrug of his injured arm, "but you don't think like a criminal. No, I have something far more important for you." He picked up a tablet from her coffee table and switched it on, taking a few seconds to find what he wanted before handing it to her.

Her eyebrows shot up at the image on the screen. It was video footage of her, from the first time she'd taken on the Flash.

"You held up pretty well against him," Leonard said. "No matter how fast he moved, your power always let you stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, as long as I could see where I was going," Shawna admitted.

"I have someone who might be able to find a solution for that. But we'll need to test that power of yours, figure out how that limitation really works before we can see how to fix it. My concern is whether you think you can manage _that_ —" he nodded at the screen "—against another speedster."

"Another... There's _another_ speedster out there?"

Leonard hesitated before answering. "You'd know him as Harrison Wells."

It took every bit of willpower Shawna had to not burst out laughing in Leonard's face. "Harrison Wells. The guy in a wheelchair. What, are you afraid of him _rolling_ himself at you?" She scoffed. "You don't belong in prison, you belong in an insane asylum if you seriously think—"

Leonard flinched. "The wheelchair is an _act_ ," he said, his voice shaken.

"Okay, fine," Shawna said. She couldn't imagine what she'd said that would make him react like _that_ , but that was a puzzle for another time. "Let's pretend I do believe you. What do you want from me? You don't honestly expect me to fight..." But Leonard was shaking his head again. "No?"

He took the tablet back and tapped the screen a few times. "I understand you've been studying to become a doctor before all this?"

"I don't even _want_ to know how you know that."

"That's good; I need to keep _some_ secrets." He handed the tablet back to her and waited while she browsed through the files he'd opened. "What would you say about these?"

Her eyes widened as she looked through the medical files. "First guess, I'd probably say dead man walking," she replied.

"Funny, my doctor said exactly the same thing," Leonard muttered.

She flipped through a few more x-rays, but she couldn't make any sense of them. The cracks throughout the entire skeletal structure, bones that appeared to have been melted and misshapen like soft clay... "I've never seen anyone tortured before, but this... this definitely looks like torture. It... what the _hell_? Is that a handprint?" She shoved the tablet aside. "How is any of that even possible?"

Leonard shrugged. "How are metahumans possible?"

Shawna groaned. "You just showed me x-rays from some unlucky bastard who was tortured to death and you're getting _philosophical_ —seriously, what the hell is so funny about that?"

Leonard quickly turned his snickering into a cough, but far too late to have any chance at fooling her. She narrowed her eyes and looked pointedly at the balcony.

"My apologies, Baez," he said hastily. "I'm afraid there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. Those are _my_ x-rays."

Her mouth dropped open.

"Taken less than an hour after Wells attacked me," he added. "I'm reasonably sure that I'm still alive, though at the time I would certainly have agreed with you about the 'unlucky' part."

"Not to mention the 'bastard' part," Shawna muttered.

"Only if we're using the colloquial term," Leonard said, "instead of the actual meaning." He smirked. "My parents _were_ married when they had me... or so I've been told."

Shawna rolled her eyes.

"Wells did _that_ to me," Leonard continued, "to make a point. To show me what he's capable of. He threatened to do worse to my sister if I let anything happen to the Flash."

"That's why you helped the Flash move us."

Leonard nodded. "I wasn't sure if he only meant for me to stop interfering, or if I had to keep anyone else from hurting the Flash. I couldn't take that risk."

"Wouldn't killing us have been easier?" Shawna asked, though she shuddered to even think it. "I mean, we _were_ unconscious for a while..."

Leonard shook his head. "Easier for me, yes. At least until Wells got pissed off about something else. But that's not how the Flash works. Look, whatever Wells' plans are, whatever he needs the Flash _alive_ for, he didn't care if you lot died to see those plans succeed. But the Flash isn't like that. He was willing to risk everything to keep Wells from hurting the four of you."

"Five," Shawna corrected him.

"Sorry?"

"There were _five_ of us on that truck. Me, Mardon, Bivolo, Nimbus, and Simmons."

"Simmons was going to kill the Flash."

"So you killed him before he could." Shawna nodded to herself. "So if you don't want me in your gang, and you don't expect me to fight other metas, what _do_ you want with me? I can't imagine you told me all this just for the hell of it. But what do you think I... oh! Because I can teleport. You want me to keep Wells from getting his hands on your sister."

Leonard nodded. "The Flash is dealing with Wells even as we speak," he said. "With any luck, the problem will take care of itself very soon, and then you can forget I ever spoke to you. But if that's not enough, then I'll need some way to make sure that Lisa is as far from him as possible. If you can manage that..." He shook his head. "I'd never be able to repay you, Baez—Lisa is more important to me than anything I could ever offer—but I would do everything in my power to try." He sighed. "I don't need to tell you that this will be dangerous. I _won't_ ask you to put your life on the line. But if you're willing, _if you can_... I'm begging you, please, help me protect my baby sister."

Shawna looked him up and down, searching for any tell, any sign that he was trying to deceive her. But there was nothing. Either he was a damn good liar, better than she could ever dream of being...

Or he was completely serious about _everything_. And that terrified her all the more.

"I can't promise anything," she finally said, "but I'll try."

He didn't lose that edge of fear, but he let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you." He grimaced and picked his earpiece back up from the coffee table. "I should probably contact my partner before he decides he needs to rescue me."

When he left, his tablet was still on her coffee table. She steeled herself to pick it up and examine the x-rays again.

—FLASH SIDEWAYS: RECRUITMENT—

A few days passed before Shawna saw Leonard again. This time, she tracked _him_ down and found him in a run-down warehouse.

He was seated at a table, his back to her, and he appeared to be focused intently on a pile of papers in front of him.

She hesitated, trying to decide how to _safely_ get his attention. She didn't want him to think she was sneaking up on him, but this was too important to just wait for him to randomly notice her.

"Baez," Leonard said, startling a yelp out of her. "You're doing well?" He didn't even bother to turn around.

"I was until now!" she snapped. "How the hell did you know I was here?"

He glanced over his shoulder to smirk at her. "Rathaway's already told me about some of the progress he's made with your power. Do you honestly think that wouldn't include a way to track you? Not to spy on you, mind," he added hastily. "Just to prevent you from spying on me."

Shawna flushed. "Oh. I guess I didn't consider that." And that, of course, was why he _didn't_ involve her in his heists; even with a criminal for an ex-boyfriend, she just couldn't seem to think like one.

Leonard shrugged. "You needed something?"

"Well, speaking of spying on people... I'm not sure if you'd have gotten this from anywhere else, yet, but I have some footage that you really need to see."

Leonard inclined his head, a clear invitation for her to approach, and pushed aside the blueprints he'd been studying.

She handed him the tablet he'd left at her apartment. The active file was security footage from StarLabs from a couple of days ago, the day the hole had opened in the sky.

Leonard frowned as he watched the footage. Shawna watched for his expression to change, to show some sign that he understood what he was seeing. But even though he watched it three times, the frown never left his face.

"Thawne..." he murmured.

"I don't know why the detective shot himself," Shawna admitted. "Mind control, maybe? I don't understand what they're talking about. But Wells—"

Leonard shook his head. "Wells told me his real name is 'Thawne.' Eobard Thawne. Never mind, it's not important. What _is_ important," he said, tapping the screen to pause it right as Wells was vanishing, "is that Wells is no longer a threat." He tilted his head and looked Shawna up and down. "A deal's a deal. What do you want, Baez? What do I owe you?"

"What do... _I_ want...? I... I don't know." Did he even owe her anything? She hadn't done anything to protect Lisa, hadn't _needed_ to protect Lisa. Surely this didn't count.

"If I can make a recommendation, then?"

"Uh... sure?"

"Go back to school," Leonard said. "Finish your studies. If you need money, I can make sure you have what you need. You can focus on becoming a doctor, and forget you ever met me."

"No way in hell I'm forgetting you," Shawna scoffed. "Like you said, a deal's a deal. _Wells_ might be gone, but knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if you've got a few other enemies who'd be willing to go after Lisa to get to you. _Someone_ needs to make sure she doesn't pay for your screw-ups."

"I can't argue with that. And your education?"

"I'll let you pay for my education on one condition. I'm sure I've heard _something_ about you not finishing high school?"

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't imagine what you've heard," he said. "What's the condition?"

"Get your damn GED," Shawna said.

* * *

 **Next chapter, Shawna helps Lisa track down Roy Bivolo for a job of her own.**

 **No, Len didn't forget what the Reverse Flash told him in Enemy of My Enemy. He just isn't going into that much detail because he figures Shawna doubts his sanity enough as it is.**

 **As for why Lisa is in danger in some of my other fics and in canon despite the "job" Len just gave Shawna...  
Well, I assume either that Shawna is busy with her studies and isn't aware that the threat happens until it's too late (and Len understands that even a teleporter can't be everywhere at once) or that, like with the "Family of Rogues" episode, she isn't involved in his heists and thus would have no reason to be nearby.**

 **And regarding Len's offer to test Shawna's power: Hartley Rathaway is going to see what he can find regarding the limitations of her power and see what sort of workarounds he can come up with that will actually work.  
Whether this will actually happen in a fic remains to be seen... mostly because I haven't decided if I'm going to write any fics that require such a workaround. But if I do need one, there you go.**


	3. Rainbow Raider

**In which Lisa tracks Roy Bivolo down with a business proposition.  
**

 **Takes place a week after the events of Flash S1E23 Fast Enough.**

 **I couldn't decide whether to give Biv's background via flashbacks or him just telling Lisa and Shawna, so in the end I went for a mix of the two.**

 **Canon note: I have not (yet) read the comics, and we haven't seen anything but anger in the show, so I don't know firsthand what Biv's capable of doing, color-wise.  
However, I hear it from other fans that he can manage a variety of emotions from different colors, including certain colors that themselves can produce multiple effects. Case in point: blue producing depression... or calm.  
I also don't know if he can control which emotion occurs, but for my purposes he can.**

 **Amber (mentioned), Ariana, and Christopher (both from Biv's flashback) copyright me.  
All others copyright DC, CW, etc.**

* * *

A week had passed since the final battle between the two speedsters, and the city was desperately in need of cleanup.

The Flash, of course, used his speed to do the work of twenty people—fifty when he started showing off—but everyone who cared about Central City was pitching in.

Even Lisa was helping out, and her brother and Mick were off somewhere lending a hand as well. Leonard had forbidden them to go near Star Labs; even with disguises, there was too much chance they'd be recognized. But even with Leonard's new friend Shawna providing intel, Lisa needed to see for herself that the heroes had all survived, and she had snuck off half an hour after the Rogues had joined back in with the cleanup.

Not that she was worried about the Flash or his team, of course. Not even about Cisco. Not that she'd ever admit to anyone.

But she knew her brother's moods far better than he realized. After what Wells had done to him, it had been _fear_ , and none of his usual criminal tendencies, that had compelled him to betray the Flash. And not fear for himself, either; Lisa just couldn't imagine her brother breaking if it had been his own life at stake. No, he could only have behaved the way he had if Wells had threatened _her_. Or maybe if he'd threatened Amber or Mick, but neither of them were being shadowed by a teleporter.

But in spite of his concern for his baby sister, Leonard had been deeply ashamed at having allowed anyone so much power over him again, of allowing that fear to rule him so completely. He had felt guilty about letting the Flash face their common enemy alone. And Lisa knew that his guilt would have eaten him alive if that fear had cost the Flash his life.

Enemy of my enemy, indeed. Not that _Leonard_ would ever admit it.

Lisa sighed. "You know, when people sneak off it's _usually_ because they don't want to be followed."

"Are you _sure_ you're not a metahuman?" Shawna said from behind her. "I swear, you've got eyes in the back of your head, or something. You and your brother both."

Lisa turned around and glared at the woman who was perched delicately on top of a pile of debris. "I mean it, Baez. Shove off!"

Shawna merely shook her head. "Sorry, girl. Boss's orders. And if that look doesn't work on me when _he_ gives it, then what makes you think it'll work any better coming from you?"

" _Fine_ ," Lisa growled. "But did Lenny order you to _spy_ on me or to watch me?"

"Uh... There's a difference?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. Shawna was a good liar, but not _that_ good. "I wasn't supposed to know you were following me, was I?" She shook her head. "Never mind. Since I _do_ know, you might as well quit hopping around and join me."

Shawna vanished from her perch and reappeared next to Lisa. "Join you... spying on your boyfriend?"

Lisa shook her head again. Cisco and the others had already gone back inside, anyway. "Nah. I hear Jitters is giving out coffee to the volunteers. I could use a cup."

Shawna nodded, took Lisa's hand, and the two vanished from Star Labs. A few teleports later, they reappeared in a secluded corner near the booth Jitters had set up. They got their drinks and returned to the corner to watch the other volunteers.

"Let's see if I have this straight," Lisa said. "Lenny found out about your power, and his whole plan to sabotage the move was to bust you out so you could protect me from Wells?"

Shawna flushed. "I... I don't know what you're—"

Lisa snorted. "Don't even bother. I know my brother. He may be the Flash's enemy, but after what Wells did to him, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to betray everyone unless he thought he was protecting me. Honestly, I'm surprised he hadn't gone to any of the others and asked them to take out Wells before the Flash had the chance."

"Maybe he didn't think they'd be that eager to help the Flash?"

"Probably not," Lisa agreed. "Not sure I'd want to trust Nimbus, anyway, and Lenny doesn't seem to like Mardon."

"Well, no, not after he crashed that plane," Shawna said. "He _might_ have forgiven Mardon for the Argus deaths, but the civilians?"

Lisa frowned. There _had_ been a few casualties where the plane had hit, far beyond Leonard's need for control, but his hatred for Mardon was stronger than that. Were his hallucinations still bothering him? "That leaves..."

"Bivolo," Shawna supplied. "The one who can make people angry. Doesn't seem like the boss would have much use for a power like that. Even if he got all of his enemies fighting each other, it'd still be too easy to accidentally hurt someone he cares about. I think he likes having more control than that; I know _I_ would."

"I wonder, though... Shawna, do you think you could help me find Biv?"

"What would you want to do with him?"

"It depends on what else he's capable of. Maybe nothing," Lisa admitted. "But maybe..." Lisa took a deep breath. Even if Roy could give her what she needed, getting his help would require telling him some very unpleasant truths. "Maybe, everything I need." She pulled out a set of special goggles designed by Hartley Rathaway. "Got the gear Rath made for you? We'll need to be careful."

—FLASH SIDEWAYS: RECRUITMENT—

Tracking Roy Bivolo down turned out to be harder than Lisa expected. Given the way his power worked, she'd _expected_ to just watch for people getting antsy and letting their aggression get the better of them, but it looked like the man was doing an amazing job at lying low.

After the third time Shawna had broken up such a fight by teleporting the instigators apart, Lisa was getting frustrated. Where _was_ that man?

"Anything?" Shawna asked.

"Nope," Lisa admitted. "None of them remember anyone matching Biv's description. And near as I can tell, these lot are just dealing with perfectly normal anxiety. This is nothing compared to what he could have done to them."

"I don't know... _normal_?" Shawna repeated. "Seems like it was a little _too_ easy to break up those fights." She grinned. "Hang on, I've got an idea." She took Lisa by the hand and teleported them around the city, looking in on any impending fights, until they found what they wanted.

"Gentlemen, _please_ ," Roy was saying. He stood between two groups of combatants, and waved at the destruction around them. "I know we're all upset, and there will be plenty of time to point fingers later. But are you quite certain you wouldn't rather wait to fight until _after_ you have a home to lick your wounds in?"

"You're one to talk, _Rainbow Raider_ ," one of the combatants spat. "I've seen you on the news; I know what you're capable of. Seems to me you'd enjoy making the city tear itself apart."

One of the opposing gang members nodded. "Probably in league with the bastards who destroyed our territory," he added. "What do you say we take _him_ out?"

There were nods all around.

Roy sighed. "I must say I am pleased you've finally decided to work together. But I do wish you gentlemen would listen to reason, and put that effort into something more constructive. No?" He shook his head and removed his goggles.

His eyes were glowing, but they weren't his usual red. Instead, Shawna and Lisa could see that they were a distinct shade of blue.

The aggressors' eyes glowed the same shade of blue, and the two groups stopped their advance as the fight seemed to drain out of them.

"Forget it." One of the aggressors dismissed Roy with a wave. "You aren't worth our time. Come on, boys, let's get this mess cleaned up."

"Is that what you needed?" Shawna muttered.

"Oh, that's _exactly_ what I need," Lisa replied.

The two gangs turned around to get back to work moving the debris. All except for one man who, by virtue of his position behind Roy, had escaped the effects of the Rainbow Raider's power.

The man pointed a gun at Roy.

"Look out!" Lisa cried out.

Shawna's eyes snapped back up to the scene. She teleported and snatched Roy away just as the other man fired the gun, then collected Lisa so the three could flee the scene.

—FLASH SIDEWAYS: RECRUITMENT—

"Are you quite all right, miss?" Roy asked.

"Yeah," Shawna managed to reply. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch." She twisted her arm to examine the bloody mark on her elbow.

"Don't you _dare_ try that bullshit line with me, Baez!" Lisa snapped. "Lenny and me have been putting up with 'just scratches' for _years_. If you got shot—"

Shawna shook her head. "I _am_ studying to be a doctor, remember?"

"Don't doctors usually make the worst patients?" Roy muttered.

"Maybe," Shawna admitted, "but I do know what a bullet wound looks like. I think the shot just sent some debris at me, is all. It's a flesh wound." Despite her protests, she held still and allowed Lisa to bandage the wound.

"Be that as it may," Roy said. " _You_ might have suffered only a 'flesh wound'—" though the twist of his lips proved that he did not believe her "—but it would seem that I am extremely lucky you two ladies happened along when you did."

"It wasn't luck," Lisa replied once she was done with Shawna's wound. "We were looking for you."

"Of course you were," Roy said. "Has your brother decided to collect on my debt?"

Lisa shook her head. "Whatever he wants to do with you, that's between you and him. This one is all me."

"Very well. What do _you_ want to do with me?"

"Well, for someone whose power is all about driving everyone into a frenzied rage," Lisa said, "I couldn't help but notice how good you were at calming those people down."

"Anger. Love. Fear." Roy shrugged. "Calm. There are others I haven't tried. Anger just seems to be the easiest. The least dangerous. Though calm certainly has its uses."

"You seriously believe that love is _dangerous_?" Shawna scoffed. "More than anger... more than _rage_?"

Roy smiled. "Says the woman who got herself thrown into that prison for a man who _abandoned_ her when she was no longer useful."

Shawna flushed.

"Love is _blind_ ," Roy explained. "All emotions are, at their core, if they are not properly tempered with thought. But love would have you walk straight into the lion's den and believe that it is only right that he should eat you."

"Speaking from personal experience?" Lisa asked.

"Not personal, no, but close enough." Roy sighed. "Look, I had this... this old friend. His girlfriend had left him, shortly after the explosion; he never told me why. So I went to see her, to learn her side of the story."

 _"If you truly don't love him anymore, then I would be the_ last _person to tell you to put up with him just for the baby's sake_." _He glanced at the swelling that had only just begun to show on her stomach. "Your child doesn't deserve that responsibility."_

 _Ariana shook her head. "That's the problem, Biv. I_ do _love him. I just can't be with him."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"You wouldn't understand."_

 _"If you would just_ talk _about it—"_

 _"I have_ tried _talking about it. Nobody understands. Everyone thinks he's the same great guy I fell in love with. Some part of me still wants to believe that, too. But... I'm sorry, Biv. I guess love is blind."_

 _"Ariana, please." Roy looked into his dear friend's eyes, searching for anything that could help him understand. He was about ready to give up..._

 _"If I agree to talk to him... would you stay there with me?"_

 _Roy_ _nodded. "Of course. Anything for you."_

"I reminded her of how much she loved him, persuaded her to give him another chance."

Lisa frowned. "With a power like yours, that sounds an awful lot like date-rape."

Roy nodded. "At the time I didn't know I had any powers. I just thought I was a good friend who had helped two people to resolve their differences. It wasn't until three days later that I found out _why_ she had left him, but by then..."

 _Roy squeezed his eyes shut, but the insistent pounding didn't cease. It was not, as he'd feared, his hangover, but someone at the door._

 _He picked his way carefully to the front door and peered out through the window before opening up. "Officer? Can I help you?"_

 _"Mr. Bivolo? Are you familiar with a Miss Ariana Darkwood?" The cop held out a photo._

 _Roy_ _squinted against the morning light and peered at the photo. "Yeah... friend of mine since high school. Why?" Some part of him felt like he should be worried that a cop was asking after her, but the rest of him was still too hung-over to notice._

 _"Boyfriend says she's been missing for a couple of weeks. He hasn't seen her since she walked out on him, but he said you went looking for her a few days ago."_

That _pierced through his hangover. "Now, hold on! I went to see her, but she agreed to talk to him! I was there when they made up!" Hell, even his hangover was from the party the couple had thrown last night. "Why would he say he hasn't seen her...?"_

 _The cop only shrugged. "I don't know. But witnesses peg you as the last person to see her alive. I'm going to have to ask you to come down the station to make a statement."_

 _"Yeah, just... just let me get dressed."_

Lisa and Shawna stared at each other in horror.

"The police asked me to identify the body. I could barely even recognize her under all the bruises," Roy said. He smiled sadly at Lisa. "Sounds like something _you_ might have some personal experience with."

Lisa nodded.

"I went to see him later," Roy said. "Once I was sober. I guess I'd figured, because I'd been drunk and hung-over when the police came to talk to me, maybe I hadn't understood properly. That maybe there'd been some accident after I'd left, and he'd been too afraid to admit it." He shook his head. "Turns out I'd understood just fine."

 _"It's her own damn fault," Christopher said. "She had no right to leave me!"_

 _"What are you talking about?" Roy asked._

 _"What the hell do you_ think _I'm talking about?" Christopher snarled. "Ariana!_ My _girlfriend, the one you've been fucking behind my back."_

 _Roy_ _'s mouth dropped open. "Behind... your..."_

 _"Hope you made it good for her," Christopher said. "She won't be fucking anyone again. I made sure of that."_

 _"Chris, I never_ touched _her! I went to see her to find out why she'd left. I convinced her to go back to you! And you... you_ killed _her? Because you thought she was sleeping with me! I_ _ _—_ " The full impact of what he'd said finally hit him. Roy covered his mouth, trying to suppress the sudden nausea. "You killed her," he said, his voice shaking, "after I convinced her to go back to you. Oh, god, she's dead because of me."_

 _"Finally," Chris muttered. "Something we can agree on."_

 _Roy_ _yelped at the burning sensation in his scalp as Christopher yanked his head up by the hair. "Chris,_ please _," Roy gasped through the pain. "You were my friend; I could never betray you like that."_

 _"_ Liar _! I've seen the way you look at her."_

 _Roy_ _couldn't deny the accusation; he_ did _love Ariana. "But she loved_ you _," he insisted._

 _Chris shook his head. "Shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you," he snarled. "Actually... Maybe I should shut it anyway." He pulled a gun from his waistband and clicked the safety off._

 _Roy_ _stared up at his former friend. Pleading with him, reasoning with him... none of it was working. Christopher refused to listen. Right now Roy wanted nothing more than for Chris to feel the terror he felt, that Ariana must have felt._

 _The gun wavered, turned..._

"You made him afraid," Lisa said.

"I made him so _very_ afraid," Roy agreed, "that he killed himself." His mouth twisted. "You can imagine what the police thought when they learned I was the last person to see _him_ alive. I lost everything after that; my friends, their respect, my job..." He sighed. "None of it compared to losing Ariana. If I hadn't talked to her, if I'd _known_ what he was doing to her..."

"Then someone else would've gone looking for her," Shawna said.

"Not someone with my power," Roy growled.

"No, but someone who would've told him where to find her," Lisa said. "Who she was staying with." She shook her head. "People like that... they are very good at showing the world a _very_ different face than what they show to the people they hurt. If you hadn't gone looking for her, he would've found her, anyway. He still would've hurt her, and who knows how many other people." She sighed. "Though I can understand why you'd want to avoid causing those other emotions."

"Which brings us back to my original question," Roy said. "What do you want with me?"

Lisa tilted her head and considered what she needed. "Your power... can you cause any emotion you want?"

Roy shook his head. "Not so far as I've been able to tell. It seems the emotion needs to be there already; I simply bring it out and enhance it. Even Christopher was already afraid that someone would find him out." He glanced off in the direction of some of the work crews. "Calm, for instance... you'd think that would be the easiest one to find, but it tends to be the most difficult; so many people with so many anxieties filling their lives. Especially with everything that's happened recently."

"But if someone had a _reason_ to be calm," Lisa insisted, "but didn't know it. Say..." She blew out a gust of air, irritated. There was no way in hell she was going to get the point across without just saying it. "Ah, to hell with it. If someone's friends were protecting him, and he knows he can trust them, except for some reason he doesn't recognize them. Would you be able to... to find the calm he _should_ be feeling and bring it out?"

Roy and Shawna traded perplexed glances. "Maybe it's just me," Roy said, "but your hypothetical scenario seems a bit... oddly specific."

"It's not just you," Shawna said. "What's going on? What is this about?"

"It's about my brother," Lisa admitted. "And it isn't hypothetical."

* * *

 **And here we end the recruitment arc.  
As you can see from canon, Len's reasons for recruiting Shawna don't exactly work out as planned (like I said previous chapter, she's occasionally busy with her studies, even a teleporter can't be everywhere at once, and Len very specifically does not involve her in his heists).  
Whether Lisa's reasons for recruiting Biv work out as planned remains to be seen. Clearly he isn't available to settle things during Len's perspective on the Legends of Yesterday/Today two-parter, but I guess the real question is, will he ever be needed?  
**

 **I came up with the idea for Biv's background, and why he would want to avoid causing certain emotions, from a hint given in someone else's fanfic: "Bolt from the Blue" by town_without_heart (an interesting alternate timeline for the ColdFlash fans, but it seems to only be on AO3).**


End file.
